Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 127722 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 639(@200wpm)___ 511(@250wpm)___ 426(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127722 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 639(@200wpm)___ 511(@250wpm)___ 426(@300wpm)
“You’re going to fly in no time.”
Huntley sat across from me on the other side of the fire. The dinner he’d caught roasted on the spit, and every few minutes, he turned it to char a different side of the meat. Drops of juice dripped to the rocks below and sizzled on impact.
I’d worked all day, but I wasn’t the least bit hungry.
I was too overwhelmed.
“You did good, baby.” He seemed to understand I was in a mood, so he gave me plenty of silence to process what had happened that afternoon.
“I can’t believe I did it…”
“I can.” He reached forward and rotated the stick.
“It’s going to take so long to finish…”
“We’re in no hurry.”
“If Necrosis is about to attack, I’m not sure I agree with that.”
“We don’t know that for sure, and if we don’t return with dragons, we won’t be able to make a difference. Queen Rolfe has defended her people from every attack on HeartHolme. She’ll continue to do so.”
“Do you view her as different people?”
His eyes shifted to me.
“As a queen…and then as your mother?”
“I have to. The relationships are different. As her royal subject, I’m her servant. As her son, I’m her priority. If we don’t separate them, no one will respect either one of us. We can’t have nepotism in our politics.”
In rare glimpses, I saw her a mother. The rest of the time, it was just a ruthless queen with an iron fist.
The food was finished, so he removed it from the fire and separated it onto two plates he’d packed for the trip. We ate in silence, letting the fire die out on its own. Shadows were cast across the glade, everything farther away obscured in darkness. “I can tell he’s in pain.”
“He’ll be fine.”
“The only way I can stop the pain is by healing him…but I can’t heal him if I want the wing to regrow.”
“All he cares about is having his wings back. The pain is inconsequential.”
“I still don’t want him to suffer.”
“I know you pity him because his wings were massacred, but don’t forget he’s a ferocious dragon, not a weak dog. When those wings are restored and he’s back to his former glory, he won’t need your pity.”
First thing in the morning, I found him outside the cave, waiting for me.
“How are you feeling?” I continued to speak to him like he could understand every word I said. Maybe he didn’t know the words, but I was sure he could detect the inflection in my voice, my tone.
He lowered his chin to the ground so I could climb aboard.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
“Ivory.”
I looked at Huntley, who was looking past me.
I turned to the large cave entrance and saw another dragon emerge. His scales were cobalt blue, the color of semiprecious stone. He was about the same size as the first, and his stare was just as sinister.
He examined me with a predator’s gaze, as if sizing me up.
“I’m here to help.”
He came closer then looked at the wing of his friend. He gave a growl then nudged him with his snout, as if trying to push him out of the way.
“He wants you to heal him first.” Huntley came close to me and was careful not to draw any of his weapons.
“I’m going to heal both of you, okay? But let me finish with him.”
The cobalt dragon continued to nudge him.
The green dragon gave a growl and snapped his jaws.
“Hey.” I whistled loudly and waved my arms. “I can heal you both. No need to fight, alright?”
“I wonder if they’re brothers.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because it reminds me of Ian and me.”
“Does not,” I said. “You would let him go first. You always let everyone go first.”
He turned his head to regard me, giving me that hard stare. “I’d let you go first. No one else.”
The cobalt dragon flared his nostrils with an angry breath before he turned back to the cave.
The green dragon dropped his snout back to the earth so I could finish my work.
“Do you have a name?” I asked.
He released a breath, steam coming from his nose.
“How about Pyre? Because you burn your enemies to a crisp.”
Another puff of steam came out.
“Alright. Pyre, it is. I’ll have to find a name for your friend.” I started the climb, grabbing on to the scales as I hoisted myself toward the sky. As I did, I could hardly believe my actions. Could hardly believe I was climbing up a goddamn dragon. I reached his flank and positioned myself at his wing. It was exactly as I left it yesterday, the stump several feet bigger than before. “Alright…let’s go to work.”
A week came and went.
Every day, I worked on Pyre, getting his limb to regrow. At first, it was just the bones at the base that enlarged, but soon, the scales began to thin and the skin branched out into a web. I could see the nerves and blood vessels in direct sunlight, see them break off like rivers. The work was exhausting, and by the end of every night, I felt like I’d run all the way from the Teeth back to HeartHolme.